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Supported Living Services

Standardized Assessment Questionnaire

Fiscal Year 2012-13 Trailer Bill language (AB 1472, Chapter 25, Statutes of 2012) amended section 4689 of the Welfare & Institutions Code (WIC) regarding assessments for individuals in supported living arrangements. To ensure that consumers in or entering into supported living arrangements receive the appropriate amount and type of supports to meet the person's choice and needs as determined by the IPP team, and that generic resources are utilized to the fullest extent possible, the IPP team shall complete a standardized assessment questionnaire at the time of development, review, or modification of a consumer's IPP. The questionnaire shall be used during the individual program plan meetings, in addition to the provider's assessment, to assist in determining whether the services provided or recommended are necessary and sufficient and that the most cost-effective methods of supported living services are utilized.

Supported Living Services (SLS) consist of a broad range of services to adults with developmental disabilities who, through the Individual Program Plan (IPP) process, choose to live in homes they themselves own or lease in the community. SLS may include:

Assistance with selecting and moving into a home;

Choosing personal attendants and housemates;

Acquiring household furnishings;

Common daily living activities and emergencies;

Becoming a participating member in community life; and,

Managing personal financial affairs, as well as other supports.

These services help individuals exercise meaningful choice and control in their daily lives, including where and with whom to live. SLS is designed to foster individuals' nurturing relationships, full membership in the community, and work toward their long-range personal goals. Because these may be life-long concerns, Supported Living Services are offered for as long and as often as needed, with the flexibility required to meet a persons' changing needs over time, and without regard solely to the level of disability. Typically, a supported living service agency works with the individual to establish and maintain a safe, stable, and independent life in his or her own home. But it is also possible for some individuals to supervise their services themselves, to secure the maximum possible level of personal independence.

Individuals who choose to live in their own homes, and their agencies or other people who support them, often will need information about affordable housing options, sources of financial support such as Supplementary Security Income (SSI), and how to stretch a limited budget to meet living expenses. These are the ordinary challenges that are inseparable from a truly self-directed life in the community. For the many adults for whom SLS makes great sense, such challenges are often also road signs on the path to a satisfying life.

For more information about Supported Living Services, contact your local regional center or the: